


Ocean of Light

by HobblyWobbly



Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Cayde is a kinderguardian, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, If you squint you can ship them, Smoking, Tevis wants alone time, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-24
Updated: 2018-06-24
Packaged: 2019-05-27 18:25:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15030626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HobblyWobbly/pseuds/HobblyWobbly
Summary: No matter how many times he taps into the Void he can never stop the frostbite from creeping up on him, nor can he erase the phantom memory of the Void Bow forming into his hands, the smooth curve of the bow fitting into his hands as the voices always making him feel hollow wrap themselves around him and whisper into his ear to take the shot. He always does despite knowing once the arrow breezes through his fingers into the intended target the emptiness inside him will return. A part him believes he has grown to enjoy the feeling. He can’t remember what it was like to be whole.





	Ocean of Light

The coastline was entirely barren and untouched by life of any sort. There was no vegetation to be seen, no sign of life and no way up the vertical rock face. The expanse of unwelcoming grey stretched as far as the naked eye could see. Every so often waves crashed up against the rock, waves so blue it’d put Awokens to shame. It was the only place Tevis really could call home; the only real place he can feel free. His bare feet brush up against the waves when they rolled up over the sand only to trickle back away as if daring him to put everything behind him and follow into the deep blue abyss.

Tevis is hyper-aware of the presence beside him when there is an awed exclamation. Glancing over, he warily eyes Cayde who must have followed him after the mission was done and over with. He files the thought away knowing that after whatever unavoidable conversation Cayde soon throws him into he’ll talk long and hard about not being followed like some sort of child that always needs to be supervised. Cayde does that a lot- following people, that is. It is as if he hates being alone. The lights in Cayde’s mouth flicker on as a telltale sign of talking, but the lights dim down again and Cayde simply gets comfortable on the thin patch of sand that follows the coast’s outer rim meeting the ocean waves. His optics are trained on the moving waves and the way the sunlight bounces off the water.

Forcing his body to relax as best as possible knowing he can never be truly relaxed. Not with other people; the pounding voices in his head make sure of that. He begins bending his knees up and scooting forward on the sand to make sure the physical connection with the ocean isn’t lost. His right arm drops itself across the top of his padded knees while the other reaches into his back pocket tugging out an unused cigarette. Before he can start bothering Artemis for his matches there is a finger being held out in his direction from Cayde. Above his fingertip sparks a small-scale fire allowing Tevis to light the cigarette without much work on his part.

Tevis takes in a long drag from the cigarette and exhales it out, Cayde’s optics now moving from the ocean to watch the smoke rise up into the air. The nicotine does well to help relax his frayed nerves. He starts flexing the fingers of his right hand to try getting blood pumping back into the scarred digits, his fingers still holding the signs of frostbite. No matter how many times he taps into the Void he can never stop the frostbite from creeping up on him, nor can he erase the phantom memory of the Void Bow forming into his hands, the smooth curve of the bow fitting into his hands as the voices always making him feel hollow wrap themselves around him and whisper into his ear to take the shot. He always does despite knowing once the arrow breezes through his fingers into the intended target the emptiness inside him will return. A part him believes he has grown to enjoy the feeling. He can’t remember what it was like to be whole.

The exo beside him is leaning back on both hands with his legs stretched out, his own boots and gloves having been tossed back on the rocks. It is the first time Tevis has ever seen Cayde at peace. He has seen him drunk off his rockers during the trio’s weekly bar nights and, hell, Tevis has even seen Cayde in the morning when he doesn’t know up from down and can fall asleep on his feet if staying still for too long. This, however, is the first time he has ever seen him completely at peace with himself. Not too different from himself.

“You know of all the places you could have gone,” Cayde speaks up startling Tevis out from his thoughts. He curses at the cigarette which fell onto his lap, Tevis dusting off the ashes from his armor and sticking the cigarette back between his lips with a scowl. Cayde, watching this all happen, just seems to be smiling. “This has to be the coolest.”

The ocean creeps up against the sand and dunks both their feet under, white bubbling foam the only known marks left on their feet that are evidence of the ocean’s presence having reached that far. Cayde leans forward so his fingers can gingerly poke the bubbles. There is a certain childish curiosity that follows the kinderguardian as he moves. Realization hits Tevis.

“You’ve never seen the ocean before.” Tevis states more than says making Cayde look back at him again, the lights in his jaw flickering on followed by a terrible attempt at a stifled laugh. For Tevis it makes sense now why it took Cayde so long to speak, the exo having been put in awe at the vast thing that is the ocean and the sheer untouched beauty of it. Tevis remembers that feeling from long ago when he first stumbled upon this coast, having stood there for hours until the first signs of a sunset appeared over the ocean.

“Never got the chance,” he shrugs. “Andal always talks about how much he misses the beach when we are sparring, but I always just had to come up with the image. What I’d do to draw this,” there is a relax sigh that falls from Cayde who lays back against the sand, both hands folding behind his head for cushion. Tevis just stares at him. “What? See something you like?” He teases which has Tevis glaring behind his bangs.

“I’m just…” He trails off, staring out again over the forever stretching water. For him, it seems near impossible for the exo to have never seen an ocean before, but then he reminds himself that Cayde was found inland a few years back while Tevis himself woke up on a cliff overlooking the ocean. Shifting the cigarette in his mouth around, Tevis decides to lay down copying Cayde but keeping his knees directed towards the sky, his toes curling into the sand whenever the ocean reached his ankles. “Next time you should bring your journal.” Tevis finally finishes.

“Next time?” Cayde parrots. “Why, Tev, are you saying I’m allowed to visit your super secret hideout” He’s rolled over onto his side facing Tevis, elbow digging into the sand so he can hold his head up. Tevis just continues staring up into the cloud passing sky, focusing on the white puffs that he can faintly make shapes out of.

“I’m sayin’ that your shading needs better practice and you can come here for that,” Tevis doesn’t need to look over to know Cayde is beaming. “Could sketch up a drawing for Andal.” The idea has Cayde rolling onto his back again with a thoughtful hum. He lets his eyelids flutter shut when the pounding in his head subsides. While it might be temporary he tries making the best of it, focusing on all the little details around him; the air has a briny smell to it carried from the sea far beyond, the breeze is just right- soft but not enough where he cannot feel it, the sun is peeking out from behind the clouds releasing rays of light to warm up parts of his skin. He could fall asleep right here and no one would be the wiser...

“I wonder what’d happen if we never go back,” the exo pipes up again making Tevis wake up from his doze without opening his eyes. He doesn’t want to open his eyes; opening his eyes would mean allowing the Void to touch his soul again. “What if we just make a shack-”

“A shack?”

“Yes, a shack. You know like the ones in those old movies where the cool hermits live and always give really good advice to the stupid people who ignore the advice,” Cayde quickly explains and all Tevis can wonder about is what kind of movies Cayde is watching. “Do you think anyone would come looking for us?”

"No,” Tevis says after some sort and hopes Cayde doesn’t realize how real the thought was for Tevis; how he had been toying with the idea of leaving for good. It would be nice getting away from the Tower and all the judging, hateful stares he gets from the others and away from forces he can no longer fully put his trust into. “Hunters disappear off the face of the universe all the time. It wouldn’t be any different.”

“True,” there is a hand that results on his shoulder for support as Cayde stands from his lying position, the metal of his body creaking for the movement. “But, Tev, if it means anything,” he begins making Tevis crack open an eye. He lets his vision readjust to the light and watches Cayde grab his boots and gloves off the rock behind them, glancing over his shoulder to make sure Tevis is listening and didn’t doze off. “I know for a fact Andal would search the universe to find you if you disappeared. I know I would. And that’s what makes it different.” Before Tevis can start thinking up something to say in response Cayde is climbing back up the rock towards the main road so he can travel away.

It’s only now he becomes aware of the throbbing in his head, the voices knocking on the insides of his skull to announce their presence and twisting Cayde’s friendly words around into something disgusting- something said only out of pity for the broken old man who can barely stand living in his own skin. Forcing his eyes shut again, Tevis takes a drag of the cigarette hoping the nicotine will do something- anything. It does nothing. He tries focusing on the waves crashing against the rocks and the cool water brushing up against his ankles. It does nothing.

“Goddamnit,” he curses out under his breath and sits up, waving a hand around to make Artemis appear from his backpack. “Open a comm with Andal,” Tevis tells her making the ghost roll her shell pieces around in return but comply. Once he hears Andal’s usual ‘this is Brask’ comment he starts running a hand through the back of his hair, scratching at the skin of his head. “Hey, Andal, you up for a drink tonight?”

 _“Yeah, sure. What’s the occasion?”_ Andal replies with his voice cracking through the network. Tevis tries to ignore the hint of worry in his voice as he moves to start standing up, the cigarette in his mouth being dropped to the ground. It gets picked up by the waves and carried out to sea. For a moment Tevis stops, watching the waves taking the rolled up paper far away until he can no longer see it. No one would be the wiser if he let the waves take him off to Traveler knows where. He shakes his head free of the thought

“Cayde bothered me and I want a drink to get rid of the headache that he is. You need to start paying me for babysitting him. Extra for him never shutting up.” Tevis dryly comments. A loud laugh ripples out from the other end making him smirk before ending the comm, his boots being scooped up from the ground as he climbs up the rock. He isn’t all too surprised to find Cayde waiting for him on the main road, lying back on his sparrow talking to his ghost. When he notices Tevis summoning his own sparrow beside him he sits up. Both hands are resting on the seat between his legs and his facial plates are raised up into an ‘I knew it’ smile that has Tevis rolling his eyes.

“About time. Hey Artie!” Cayde leans forward to wave at Tevis’s ghost who twirls her shell pieces in reply. His own ghost chirps out a hello before disappearing into his backpack. “Twenty glimmer that I’ll beat you to the ships, old man.”

“You got it, kid.” He agrees already boosting away from the loud cry of ‘cheater’ behind him and away from the beach.

**Author's Note:**

> Just some more character practice and mainly descriptive practice. Dialogue I'm not entirely proud of but it is much better than the first draft gosh


End file.
